Balancing Work and Family When Working At Home

By:  Tammy Florczak

Remember the traditional home/work setting for the 1950’s?  Dad usually went off to work and mom usually stayed home taking care of the housework and being present when the children came home from school.  However in these days, in order for a family to be financially stable, most times it is necessary for both parents to be earning an income.  Oftentimes this necessity comes at a great cost:  the children come home to an empty house and the mom is still expected to keep up the housework, childcare and her full-time job.  Obviously this would be a tremendous strain on anyone. 

In recent years, the concept of telecommuting has changed that picture.  It is now becoming increasingly easier to work from home and become an independent contractor.  More and more people are deciding against being tied down to a desk in the corporate environment and are opting for a home office where the commute is no more than a few steps away.

Yet even in light of this convenience, the need for a balance between work and family remains a factor for the independent contractor.  Just as it is very easy to get caught up in climbing the corporate ladder, it is also incredibly easy to become so focused on establishing a home business that other responsibilities at home are neglected. 

The Internet is a wealth of information geared toward the success of the independent contractor.  An individual doesn’t need to look far to find informative articles designed to help them get set up in their home business.  Along with these informative articles are also tips on how to maintain a balance between work and family.  Websites such as www.money-at-home.com offer excellent articles on finding that balance.

Many suggestions included in these articles are essentially “no-brainers” and really go without saying.  There is certainly a necessity for excellent time management skills, organization and the ability to multi-task.  For example, one of the articles on www.money-at-home.com suggests that a work-at-home mom can fit some work time in before her children get up in the morning, when the children are laying down for a nap or when they go to bed in the early evening.  If the children are school age, mom can devote adequate time during the day while the children are in school. 

The convenience of working at home and avoiding long commutes on the road allows an individual more time to “be there” for emergencies or other important events in life that they might otherwise miss being chained to a cubicle in an office environment. 

One of the other challenges of balancing work and family when working from home is to get motivated to work and to stay motivated to work.  Being at home presents a whole new set of challenges.  Because an individual is able to be there for so many other things and because home is so convenient, there exists the constant temptation to get caught up in other things instead of focusing on the work at hand.  Procrastination is a constant struggle for many independent contractors – especially when they make their own hours.  There is always the temptation to say:  “I have plenty of time, I’ll get to it later.”  However getting caught up in so many other things, other than work, can take up more time that one expects.  The day can easily get away with little or no work getting done.  It is important, even when trying to balance between work and home, for the independent contractor to set specific hours when he or she is going to be working and stick to that schedule as best as they can – as if they were working at an actual worksite. 

Common sense is really the key to successfully balancing time and tasks between work responsibilities and family responsibilities.  Each individual contractor needs to analyze their own personal situation and figure out a schedule and a plan that works best for them. 

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